HC asks govt to explain steps taken to fill DCW vacancies

New Delhi: Pointing out that Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) performs important functions, the high court on Wednesday demanded an explanation from Delhi govt on the posts of chairperson and members in the commission lying vacant for two years. A bench of Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and justice Tejas Karia asked the govt's counsel to seek instructions on the steps taken to fill the vacancies and ensure that the commission remained functional.
"The commission performs certain important functions for the welfare of women. In view of the functions assigned to the commission under section 10 of the Delhi Commission for Women Act, 1994, there cannot be any reason whatsoever for not filling up the vacancies in the office of the chairperson and members and for not providing adequate staff to DCW," the court observed. The court was hearing a public interest litigation by Buxar MP Sudhakar Singh seeking a time-bound filling of the vacancies. The plea claimed DCW was "closed" since Jan 2024 and there were no members or staff. The petitioner said it was an irony that, despite a woman chief minister, the commission remained non-functional even as crime against women continued. Delhi govt counsel said he needed to verify the claim made in the PIL. "The paralysis of DCW has led to disruption and non-functioning of its statutory programmes and mechanisms, including the Sahyogini Family Counselling Unit, helpdesk, Rape Crisis Cell, Crisis Intervention Centres, mobile helpline, Mahila Panchayat programme and women helpline 181, resulting in a cascading failure of the protective framework envisaged for women in distress," the plea contended. "The urgency of the petition is underscored by official crime data. As per the Crime in India 2023 report of National Crime Records Bureau, released in Sep 2025, Delhi recorded over 13,000 crimes against women in 2023, the highest among metropolitan cities, including more than 1,000 rape cases. In a city facing such levels of gender-based violence, paralysis of the statutory body specifically created to protect women aggravates vulnerability and results in denial of access to justice," it added. The petition argued that the non-functioning of the DCW violated Articles 14, 15(3), and 21 of the Constitution, as it undermined special measures for women's protection and denied them an effective, accessible grievance redressal mechanism.